First published 2016
Wavy learns early that silence keeps her safe. At eight years old, she raises her little brother Donal while their drug dealer father runs his business and their mother disappears into addiction. The Midwestern meth lab that surrounds their home breeds violence and chaos. Wavy escapes by studying constellations in the night sky behind their house. One evening her stargazing leads to a motorcycle accident. She helps Kellen, a tattooed ex-convict who works for her father. Despite his criminal past, Kellen shows her kindness in a world that offers little. Their friendship grows as Wavy becomes a teenager. When family tragedy strikes, a well-meaning aunt intervenes. She sees something disturbing in the bond between Wavy and Kellen. The outside world judges what Wavy considers the one gentle relationship in her brutal life. Greenwood forces readers to examine their assumptions about love and morality.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unconventional-romance
Setting: Midwest, United States
Period: 21st-century
365 pages · ebook · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: abuse, addiction, child-abuse, drug-use